In his words, “Paris-Roubaix closed an early part of the season in which I raced a lot, trying to be protagonist in Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix. I approached all of these races in the whole professional way, driven by the enthusiasm of Galbusera family and our new team sponsors. I gave my best, as I always have in my18 seasons as a professional cyclist. My career has been full of satisfaction and enriched by the most important victories that a rider like me could ever aimed for. At the threshold of the 200 victories in my career, I feel my life reaches a turning point in which I perceive the need to find a new dimension and to have more time to dedicate to my family.

I want to say goodbye to all the cycling fans, considering that maybe there will be the chance to come back some day to be part on the world that gave me so much, offering my experience to the new cycling generations. “

A sprinter, Petacchi won 51 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the Giro d’Italia in 2004, the Vuelta a España in 2005 and the Tour de France in 2010.In the classics he won Milan – San Remo in 2005 and Paris–Tours in 2007.